June, 2005 Contest: Is your kitchen the main hub in your home and, if not, which room is?

The heart of our house has to be the den; it has its own gravitational pull. It is a modest-sized room, which contributes to the coziness. The large L-shaped sectional sofa is nearly a member of the family, as all four of us fit easily on it, in various poses, at the same time for reading, homework, lap-top computing, phone calls or watching TV. Even the two cats have each staked out their own sofa arm for napping!
Windows behind each side of the “L” bring in natural light,the blue sky, and the green of lawn and leaves. I particularly like how, at the top of the stairs, the second floor window faces south and allows the shadows of leaves and limbs to cascade in soft shadows down the stairway wall.
Our two daughters are constantly bringing in toys, crafts and projects to do on the den floor, though we now insist that these clutter-based efforts return to the rec room or bedroom. It’s as if each of our internal compasses point to this den’s true north!